Despite originally slated for a January 28 release date, Blumhouse’s latest shocker, The Black Phone has had horror fans on hold slightly longer than hoped. But now, with the film’s new June 24 release date on the horizon, Universal Pictures has released the much-anticipated brand-new official trailer.
Directed by Scott Derrickson (Sinister, Doctor Strange), from a script he wrote with C. Robert Cargill (Doctor Strange, Sinister franchise), based on the short story by Joe Hill, The Black Phone stars four-time Oscar® nominee Ethan Hawke (Training Day, “Moon Knight”) as we’ve never seen him before, with A.V. Club describing his role as a “Pennywise-meets-Wonka child killer”.
Set in the 1970s, the film tells the sordid tale of five children who go missing in a suburban Colorado town. Shortly afterward, Finney Shaw (Mason Thames, in his first-ever film role), a shy but clever 13-year-old boy, is abducted by a serial killer and trapped in the confines of a soundproof basement. On finding a disconnected phone, Shaw soon discovers his ability to transmit the voices of the killer’s previous victims, who try to help him escape. Meanwhile, his sister (Madeleine McGraw) starts experiencing recurring visions that might just help her find Finney.
The film’s screenplay is by Derrickson & C. Robert Cargill (Doctor Strange, Sinister franchise), based on the award-winning short story by Joe Hill from his New York Times bestseller 20th Century Ghosts. The film is produced by Derrickson & Cargill’s Crooked Highway and presented by Universal and Blumhouse. Jason Blum, Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill are producers on the film, which is executive produced by Ryan Turek and Christopher H. Warner.
